Sonic Adventure 3: Sonic's Story
by Avatar Emerald
Summary: A remake of Sonic Next Gen. Sonic, Tails, and Amy decide to take a vacation to the country of Soleanna. However, when Eggman shows up with a new plan to take over the world, Sonic jumps head first into the adventure. Little does he know that this first step will endanger his life. Can the fastest thing alive stay alive long enough to fulfill a promise?
1. Chapter 1: The Festival of the Sun

**Sonic Adventure 3**

**Chapter 1: The Festival of the Sun**

**This story is a remake of Sonic Next Gen.**

**To clarify, I admittedly like Sonic Next Gen. for what it is, but like with many things I like, I can admit it has flaws.**

**However, one user, sonicfighter21354, suggested that I should try making a "Could've Gone" of the story. After contemplating the idea, I came up with a story that will hopefully be more…receiving as it were.**

**While some things from game will remain, there are going to be obvious differences. Since I don't want to spoil anything, I'll let the story speak for itself.**

**As for the title, well many have expressed the game is a lot like the Sonic Adventure games. So hopefully this will be a good story for the Adventure series.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Sonic Next Gen., I am merely exploring an alternate story.**

**With that said, let's begin!**

* * *

Fireworks exploded in the night sky and brightly reflected off the river the flowed in a series of canals. Fizzling lights rained down like snow as the firework slowly dissolved into the night sky. Shortly afterward, another one launched into the sky and exploded into a dazzling form.

On the banks of the canals, crowds of cheering people gathered for a large, decorative boat with many oars pushing it through the river gracefully made it's way toward a large centerpiece in the center of the city.

On the very tip of the bow of the boat was a young girl. Her ruby red hair only went down a little ways past her neck and had two golden and feathered ornaments on each side of her head. Her bright blue eyes seemed to reflect her smile as she happily and gracefully waved to the crowds on the edge of the canals.

Her white dress, coming down just a little past her knees, had silver trimmings with the kingdom's crest in each individual diamond shaped pattern. On her legs, she wore slightly tanned tights and on her feet were silver high-heeled shoes. Around the upper part of the dress was a gold X-shaped pattern with black lining and her white gloves, which were lined with feathers at the cuff, went up just past her elbows. He dress left her shoulders bear, but the short; cambric sleeves covered a small part of her upper arms.

Around her neck was a medium-sized diamond inlayed in a gold base on a silver neck-chain.

The boat slowly came to a stop in front of the platform that led up to a large, decorative lamp. The young girl, followed by two women clothed in brown robes, gracefully stepped off the bow and onto the steps that lead up to the center.

There, three men, two who were also garbed in brown capes and one in ceremonial robes standing between them, greeted her with a bow. She graciously curtsied in response.

The man in the center stepped forward and gave the girl a decorative torch with a fire already lit.

The young girl held the torch for a moment. Time seemed to stop around her as she almost suddenly recalled her father almost ten years ago. As she stared into the fire, feeling its warmth, subtle tears began to form in her eyes.

"_I hope I can make you proud, father."_ the redheaded teen thought solemnly to herself.

"Miss Elise?" a female voice interrupted her thoughts. "Is something wrong?"

Elise quickly came back to reality, blinking for a moment before turning to the lady and saying calmly:

"No, I'm alright. Let us proceed."

Elise and the others bowed before the Princess recited:

"We give thanks for the blessed flames. May we always continue to have peace. Sun of Soleanna, guide and watch over us with your eternal light."

The Princess then walked forward, lowered the torch to a small lamp, and the fire ignited. As fast as lightning, the flames snaked through channels that lead up to the largest torch that overlooked the platform.

The fire ignited in a magnificent splendor and the crowds cheered again. Fireworks exploded in the sky and gave the night a feeling of magical radiance.

Elise happily waved to the crowds and was about to walk back to the boat, when missiles came flying as if from nowhere.

Everyone screamed as the projectiles hit the centerpiece where the Princess was and several buildings on the edge of the canals. The crowds scattered and ran for shelter, but robots that seem to have fallen from the sky suddenly surrounded Elise and her companions, making them trapped.

Elise looked up to see some kind of hovercraft lowering down from the sky. When it reached the same level as the platform, Elise saw that it was a man, who was roughly in the shape of an egg, with a large mustache dressed in a red and black suit.

"A pleasure to meet you at last, Princess of Soleanna." he said confidently as he bowed.

"Who are you?" Elise demanded, trying to mask her fear. "What is the meaning of this?"

"I am Dr. Ivo Robotnick, better known as Dr. Eggman," the man replied. "I have simply come here to obtain the secret of the Flames of Disaster from you."

"What?" Elise stepped back in surprise.

"And to take the ancient Soleanna gem that is the key to it's secret: the Amulet of Light!"

Elise involuntarily clasped the gem around her neck. She began to slightly tremble as she clutched the necklace tighter.

"Now, Princess, if you cooperate, then no one will get hurt."

"You don't know what you're dealing with." Elise nervously replied stepped back.

Suddenly, the wind began to blow hard. It knocked the robots surrounding the group into the water with very little effort. Elise could just barely make out a blue blur that was running in circles around the platform.

When it finally stopped, everyone turned in surprise and saw a blue hedgehog standing on a pillar just a few feet above them. While most of his fur was blue, he also had tan fur on his arms and stomach. On his hands he wore white gloves. On his feet were white socks and red shoes. Each shoe had a white band that was held together by a rectangular gold clasp.

One feature that was the most notable was his green eyes. They matched his grin completely and seemed to glint with confidence and spirit.

"Trust me, girl," the hedgehog smirked, "he never knows what he's dealing with."

"Sonic!" Eggman shouted in irritation. "What are you doing here?!"

"Well," Sonic casually replied, "my friends and I WERE here on vacation, but you had to go and ruin it like always. Now, what was it about this "Flames of Disaster" you were talking about? I hope this isn't like when you tried to control a water monster."

"None of your business, hedgehog!" Eggman responded. "ATTACK!"

Sonic looked up and saw more robots flying down from the sky with guns pointed directly at him. The moment they began to fire, Sonic leapt from his place and began to spin-dash into the platoon. In just a matter of seconds, he had them completely knocked down into the water.

"Heh, too easy!" the blue hedgehog confidently mumbled.

As he took out the last robot, he heard a shriek and immediately turned around. Another army of robots was attacking the group of people. Although they weren't being fired upon, the robots were holding them back.

Sonic then realized what had happened: while he was defeating the robots, Eggman took the chance to restrain the others and take the Princess.

Now, Eggman was flying away in his Egg Mobile with Elise in its clutches!

"Shoot!" Sonic clenched as he quickly spin-dashed into the robots holding the other humans captive, releasing them in the process.

He then immediately set out running after the Egg Mobile, which had now rotated its main body one hundred and eighty degrees so that the claws holding Elise were behind it.

"Hang on, Princess!" he shouted as he raced across the water.

The hedgehog then jumped back onto the street and chased the Mobile down an avenue, looking for an opportunity to jump onto it.

Meanwhile, Elise struggled to get free of the machine's grip. She squirmed with much determination, but all she could do was get her right hand free. While she tried to push herself up, the clutches keeping her captive were too strong.

As Eggman tried to shake Sonic off his trail, he began to go higher. Sonic simply raced up the side of a building and continued after it, jumping from one rooftop to another.

"Ugh, annoying pest." Eggman mumbled as he reached down and grabbed something off the control panel that like a gun. "Well, let's see how you like this."

As Sonic jumped and attempted to grab the claws that held the Princess, he saw a stream of red light rush at him. Before he had time to react, the light hit him square in the chest.

"AUGH!" Sonic hollered in agony as he felt sharp pain rush through his body.

"SONIC!" Elise cried out as the blue hedgehog fell from the sky and onto another roof, tumbling for several feet.

Weakly, Sonic lifted himself up, just getting to his knees. He breathed hard as he struggled to remain conscious. But his strength began to wane and his vision was getting blurry.

When he looked up, he saw Elise yank something off her neck. She then threw it to him. As it approached him, Sonic could barely see that it was a diamond. As it reached him, he stood up quickly and managed to catch it with his right hand before falling to his knees again.

Sonic struggled to get back to his feet, but instead he fell face-forward to the ground and his world immediately when dark.


	2. Chapter 2: The Rescue

**Chapter 2: The Rescue**

"Sonic! Sonic! Are you okay?! Wake up!"

The unconscious hedgehog felt something shake his shoulder as a familiar voice reached his ears. The blackness seemed to jostle for a moment before a small glint of light entered his vision.

Sonic groaned and struggled to open his eyes. A near blinding light made him wince and shut his eyes tight. When he attempted to lift himself off the ground, he felt two hands help support him.

"Sonic!" Another voice answered relieved. "Thank goodness you're okay!"

Sonic blinked for a moment and the two figures that were now helping him to his feet.

"Tails! Amy!" he exclaimed when he saw his companions. "What happened?"

"We were hoping you could tell us." Amy replied, concerned. "Eggman attacked during the festival last night and you jumped in to stop him."

Sonic glanced at the ground. The events of last night were rather vague now that he didn't remember exactly what happened. His eyes narrowed as he tried to bring those memories forward.

"Well, Eggman kidnapped the Princess…" he said slowly. "I chased them down…but as I jumped up to stop him…"

Sonic groaned and held his head with his right fist, struggling harder to bring any memories back. When he saw a silver neck-chain dangle in front of his eye, he lowered his hand and curiously opened it.

"What's that, Sonic?" Tails asked when he saw the diamond.

The blue hedgehog stared intently at the object in his hand for a moment. The diamond sparkled as the sunlight cast its rays on it. As one gleam flashed, as if triggering the rest of his memories, Sonic snapped his fingers out of revelation.

"This! This is what Eggman must've been after!" he concluded. "I remember the Princess throwing it away just before everything went blank."

Sonic then jolted up and he quickly asked:

"Wait! How long have I been out?"

"I'm guessing since last night." Tails answered. "Amy and I tried to follow you but you moved to fast. We couldn't find you until the sun came up."

"Ugh, leave it to Eggman to sucker punch me with a laser gun." Sonic gruffly mumbled as he rubbed the sore spot on his chest.

"Guys," Amy quickly interjected, "shouldn't we focus on rescuing the Princess. If Eggman was really after this necklace, how is he going to react when he finds out she doesn't have it any more?"

"You're right, Amy." Sonic nodded before turning to the young fox. "Tails, how fast can you get the Tornado up and running?"

"Three minutes give or take a few." Tails replied.

"Excellent." the blue hedgehog said as he slipped the necklace into his left hand glove.

He then turned to Amy.

"Amy, you contact Knuckles and tell him to be on stand-by just in case we need his help."

"Right." Amy replied with a sharp nod.

"Alright, team: let's get back to Wave Ocean!" Sonic commanded.

Without a moment of hesitation, the three little creatures quickly set out toward a beach on the south edge of the city. Keeping off the streets as much as they could, they either jumped or flew from rooftop to rooftop until the edge of the capital.

After they reached the beach, they sprinted across the sandy shores until they came upon a cave that contained Tails's plane along with some assorted inventions that the twin-tailed fox had been working on previously.

When they got inside, Tails immediately checked his plane over and Amy grabbed the intercom that was in the passenger glove compartment.

However, when the pink hedgehog turned the device on, a message box popped up that said: "Battery 10% Low. Please Recharge."

"Ugh, we should've plugged this in the moment we first landed." Amy grumbled, discouraged.

"The Tornado's ready to go!" Tails called from the pilot's seat.

"You guys go without me." Amy turned toward Sonic. "I'll find a place to recharge this. I'll contact you after I've gotten a hold of Knuckles. I just hope he hasn't shut off our only means of communication with him."

"Knowing him I wouldn't be surprised." Sonic smirked. "Just do what you can. We're counting on you."

Amy blushed slightly and shyly smiled.

"Don't worry, Sonic." she said, composing herself again. "I won't let you down. You guys just be careful, okay?"

"No problem." Sonic saluted before jumping up onto the top right wing of the biplane. "We'll be back before you know it!"

With that, Tails started up the Tornado. The plane slowly rolled out of the cave before turning to a flat inlet of land that stretched out into the sea.

"You know," Sonic grinned, "it seems rather convenient that this inlet is long enough to be a runway."

"Why do you think I picked this spot when we first landed here?" Tails knowingly laughed.

The fox shifted gears and the Tornado began to pick up speed. Just as the small strip of land dropped off into the ocean, Tails's plane took off and slowly gained altitude. Down below, the sea sparkled and shined as the sun reflected off the cool waters.

"Sonic, I'm picking up a strong signal on the radar!" Tails exclaimed after he activated the navigation screen. "It's coming from Dusty Desert!"

"Is it a Chaos Emerald?" Sonic turned to look at the twin-tailed fox.

"No." Tails answered, adjusting the settings. "It's the same frequency that Eggman's robots generate. That I'm sure of."

"Well then, next stop: Dusty Desert!"

Sonic pointed eastward and Tails turned the plane toward the same direction. As fast as the wind, they streaked across the sky as their rescue mission began.

* * *

"_You're a good girl, Elise. Remember: be brave. Be strong, no matter what happens."_

Curled in a corner of an old cell, hugging herself for comfort, Elise steadied her breathing as she recalled the voice of her father from ten years ago.

When Eggman found out that she had thrown away the Amulet, he wasn't too pleased to say the least. When he demanded her to tell her who had it now, she refused to give an answer.

The result: he ordered his robots to lock her up until she talked.

Needless to say, that night was a restless one. No matter where she settled down to sleep, Elise just couldn't get comfortable. She eventually became content with a small corner.

However, her dress was now covered in dirt and sand, slightly torn from when she tried to escape from the Egg Mobile's clutches, and did absolutely nothing to help keep her warm. Her gloves were just as dirty and torn, her feet ached from the high-heeled shoes, and her head ornaments were slipping out of her hair.

"I'll never reveal the secret." she determinedly whispered. "I promised you, father. And I'll keep that promise."

One tear slid down Elise's face and she hugged herself tighter.

"No matter what happens," she whimpered, "I'll keep that promise."

It was at that moment, that a loud "BANG" and "CRASH" from behind startled the girl. Her eyes snapped open wide and she whipped around in shock.

In the wall opposite of where she sitting was a large hole with debris scattered around it and across the cell. On the other side, Elise saw bright blue sky and something that looked like a biplane.

As she stared at the image, something jumped off of the wing and headed straight for the opening.

Elise gasped as the same blue hedgehog that attempted to save her yesterday landed with a summersault into her cell. When he landed on his feet, he casually stood up and brushed the sand off his arms.

"Ah, another smooth landing." the hedgehog shrugged.

"Sonic?!"

Sonic looked up and saw Elise sitting in a corner.

"Oh, Princess." he replied. "Sorry, didn't realize you were here. But I guess it works out since we're here to rescue you."

" "We"?" Elise raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Hey Tails, I found her!" Sonic shouted, leaning out the opening. "Bring the plane around!"

"Okay!" a voice called back from the distance. "Just give me a minute!"

"Oh, right: he's gotta do a loop." Sonic casually shrugged.

He then turned back to Elise and walked over to her.

"Now then, are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine." Elise nodded. "I'm so glad that you came."

"Any time, Princess." Sonic replied as he slightly bowed.

"Oh, you don't have to be so formal." the redheaded girl smiled. "My name is Elise."

"Nice to meet ya, Elise." Sonic grinned as he stuck out his hand. "Since we weren't properly introduced: I'm Sonic, Sonic the Hedgehog."

"Nice to meet you, Sonic." Elise shook Sonic's hand.

Sonic's ear twitched as the sound of the plane's engine got closer. He quickly picked Elise up, making her to jolt in surprise.

"Whoa!" she gasped as she clutched him tightly.

"Hang on tight," Sonic said, "we gotta make a jump!"

"What?!" Elise's eyes widened.

The next thing she knew, Sonic sprinted toward the opening and jumped.

Elise shut her eyes tight and clutched Sonic tighter as she felt them rush downward. The sound of the plane got closer and closer by the second. The moment the plane was right under them, Sonic landed just behind the passenger seat.

Although they weren't falling anymore, Elise still kept her eyes shut as she shivered slightly. Her heart raced and she breathed heavily. She certainly didn't see that coming.

"It's okay, Elise." Sonic's voice kindly said. "It's over."

Elise slowly opened her eyes. She became even more afraid when she realized that they were rather high up. She involuntarily tightened her grip, causing Sonic to choke a little.

"Okay," he winced, "how about you get in the passenger's seat before you strangle me."

"Oh!" the girl jolted, quickly loosening her grip. "Sorry, Sonic!"

Sonic simply shrugged as he carefully helped her into the seat behind Tails. Once she was in, Elise fastened her seatbelt and felt a bit more secure.

"Thank you." She sighed with relief. "And thank you both for saving me."

"No problem, your majesty." Tails smiled as he looked over his shoulder. "Just sit back and enjoy the ride. We'll take you to…"

"Tails, look out!" Sonic suddenly shouted.

A large, red laser suddenly shot up in front of them. Tails only had a second to react, quickly steering the plane right. Sonic clutched the tail of the Tornado to keep his balance and looked down.

Below them in what looked like some kind of arena was a large robotic dog. Its mouth was wide open and a laser was charging up, getting ready to fire again.

"I guess that's Eggman's "watchdog"." Sonic grinned, clenching his fits. "Well, it was kind of stupid to think this would be easy. Tails, you get Elise back to the cove while I distract it. I'll meet up with you guys later."

Tails quickly opened the glove compartment and grabbed a communication headset. He then tossed over to Sonic, who caught it with one hand.

"Just in case." Tails replied. "Good luck!"

Sonic put the ear piece in his right ear and adjusted the microphone near his mouth. With a cocky wink and a thumbs-up, the blue hedgehog leapt off the plane and skydived toward the canine machine.

"Sonic!" Elise cried as she watched him go down.

"Don't worry, Elise." Tails said, assuring. "Sonic can handle this. Let's just get you out of here."

Elise eyes darted back and forth between Sonic and Tails for a moment. Finally, she nodded and leaned back in her seat. However, she couldn't help but worry about her new friend's safety.

As the robotic dog attempted to fire a laser again, Sonic curled up into a ball and spin-dashed into the machine. The robot fell over on its side with a loud "CLANG". The laser shot straight and hit a wall on the other side of the arena.

The blue hedgehog back-flipped off the rebound and landed on his feet, just avoiding the laser blast. Sonic then looked and smiled with relief as the Tornado safely flying off toward the west.

"I know I can count on you, Tails." Sonic said to himself. "Just be careful, buddy."

Sonic turned his attention back at machine as it got to its feet and posed itself like a real angry dog. It turned to Sonic and made a metallic growling sound. It then scraped its forepaws across the ground, preparing to charge.

"Okay, you cranky canine." Sonic confidently smirked. "Let's play some "fetch"."


	3. Chapter 3: Flames of Disasters

**Chapter 3: The Flames of Disaster**

Sonic darted to the side as the robotic dog charged at the blue hedgehog. He then ran around to the back and jumped on its tail. He grinded on the ridge on its back before jumping off and grabbing a long red spike that protruded from the machine's head.

The Egg-Cerberus began jerking its head left and right, trying to throw Sonic off. The hedgehog gripped the spike so hard that he could almost feel his knuckles turning white.

"_What I wouldn't give to be Knuckles right now!"_ Sonic secretly thought.

Like a cowboy riding a mad bull, Sonic did everything to keep a hold of the robot. But as soon and he looked up and saw that they were about to run into a large stature, he changed his mind and immediately let go of the spike. The robot jerked its head back, sending the blue hedgehog flying backwards toward a pillar near the edge of the circle.

Sonic managed to back flip and land steadily on top of the stone column. At the same time, he heard a loud smash and crash. He looked sharply up and saw that the Egg-Cerberus had run into the statue. The blue hedgehog couldn't help but smirk when he realized that the collision caused the machine to short circuit and become disoriented for a moment.

Sonic got ready to jump again as the robot got up and looked at him. Like before, it prepared itself to charge and then darted toward the hedgehog. Just before the robot hit the pillar, Sonic leapt off the top and grabbed the spike again.

Holding on tight, and struggling to direct the thrashing machine, Sonic steered the Egg-Cerberus right toward another large stature. The moment the machine was about to smash into it, the blue hedgehog let go and leapt out of the way. Sonic then landed on his feet, sliding back a few inches.

With another loud crash, the Egg Cerberus rammed into the statue, and to Sonic's relief, fizzled for three seconds before collapsing on the ground.

"You're not very good at this game, are you that?" Sonic smirked as the glow in the robots eyes and spike diminished.

He then switched on the earphone and adjusted the frequency.

"Tails, do you read me?" Sonic said, adjusting the microphone.

"Loud and clear." Tails's voice replied. "What's the status, Sonic?"

"Just letting you know that I put the dog in the pound." the hedgehog smirked. "I'm on my way back now."

"Roger." Tails said. "We're almost at the cove ourselves. We'll meet you there."

"Got it."

With that, Sonic dashed up the walls of the circular enclosure and sprinted westward across the desert.

However, in his haste, there were two things he failed to see.

One was a dark hedgehog silhouette emerging out from the shadows. His green, serpent-like eyes followed Sonic with a poisonous glare.

The other was that on a higher platform just above the arena, a silvery white hedgehog with golden eyes peeked out from behind a wall. His attention was on the figure in the shadows as well as the blue blur in the distance.

When the white hedgehog saw the darker one turn his head in his direction, he immediately ducked back behind the wall and pressed himself against it. The shadowy stared at the ledge for a moment before melting back into the darkness of the stadium.

"Whew," the white hedgehog wiped the sweat from his forehead when he saw the figure melt away, "that was a close one."

He then cautiously looked around the corner in the direction that the blue hedgehog ran off in.

"I finally found him." he mumbled. "Now to save the future."

* * *

Tails landed the plane and it slowly came to a stop inside the cove.

"Well, here we are." Tails said as he unbuckling his seatbelt. "How are you doing, your majesty?"

"I'm fine." Elise graciously replied, also unbuckling her seatbelt. "But please, call me Elise."

"Oh, okay." Tails smiled shyly. "Do you need any help getting out, Elise."

"Well, maybe." the redheaded girl said as she looked over the edge of the plane.

"Here."

The twin-tailed fox reached out his hand and Elise took it. To her surprise, Tails's tails began to twirl around like helicopter blades and he lifted her out of the seat. He then gently lowered her down to the ground. She swayed for a moment as her legs tried to regain stability again. After about two seconds, she managed to stand up.

"Tails!" Amy called as she got up from the worktable and ran toward the two of them. "Are you guys okay? Where's Sonic?"

"We're fine, Amy." Tails answered. "And don't worry, Sonic is on his way back. He should be here any time now."

"Oh good." Amy sighed with relief.

"Did you contact Knuckles?" Tails then asked.

"Yes." the pink hedgehog nodded. "And you'll be happy to know that he's on his way. He just had to put up the defense shield you installed on Angel Island to protect the Master Emerald and he'll be here as soon as he can."

"Great!" Tails smiled.

"And you must be Princess Elise." Amy curtsied as she turned her attention to the redheaded teen.

Elise nodded.

"I'm Amy," the pink hedgehog replied, "Amy Rose."

"It's a pleasure to meet, Amy." the Princess bowed slightly.

"Well, you must be tired after all you've been through." Amy said. "You make yourself at home and I'll make you some tea."

"Thank you." Elise smiled.

As Amy made the tea, Elise sat down a nearby stool and took off her shoes. By now, her feet were aching terribly and were practically screaming for her to remove the high-heels. Tails went back to the Tornado and opened up the storage compartment in the back. He pulled out a dark red blanket and closed the slot back up. He then flew over to Elise.

"Here," he offered, "It's not much, but it may help."

"Thank you," Elise graciously accepted the gift, "you're both very kind."

"Well, we can't just sit by when someone's in trouble." Tails replied.

Shortly after Elise wrapped herself up in the blanket, Amy came over with a pink mug containing chamomile tea.

"It's sweet but hot, so be careful." she said as she handed it Elise.

"Thank you." Elise replied before a sip of the soothing beverage.

At the same time, a small gust of wind rushed through the mouth of the cave. All three turned to see Sonic slowing down to a stop.

"Sonic!" Amy exclaimed.

"Hey guys." he waved. "Is everyone alright?"

"We're fine." Tails said. "And Knuckles is on his way to help."

"Nice." the blue hedgehog winked and gave a thumbs-up.

"Are you okay, Sonic?" Elise asked.

"I'm okay." Sonic replied, walking toward the group. "I can see these two are treating you well."

"Yes," the Princess nodded, "and I can't thank all of you enough for your help."

"Ah, anytime." Sonic shrugged. "Now, do you think you can tell us what Eggman is up to?"

"Sonic!" Amy gently scolded. "She just got away from him after being kidnapped. You should give a while to calm down."

"It's alright, Amy." Elise calmly replied. "Beside, it's the least I can do after all you have done for me. And maybe you can help."

"Well, we'll do what we can." Sonic said. "So, I remember Eggman mentioning something about the "Flames of Disaster". What's that about?"

"According to legend," Elise explained, "Many centuries ago, there was a spirit known as Solaris. He is the Sun god our country honors. He is also known as the Spirit of Time and Hope. However, he wasn't the only time spirit.

"Long ago, a terrible darkness threatened to devour not only Solennna, but also the whole world. This darkness called itself Mephilies, also known the Spirit of Destruction. Like Solaris, he too had power over time itself.

"Solaris fought this evil spirit, and although he couldn't fully destroy him, he managed to separate him from his core power. This dark soul is manifested in the form of a fire demon known as Iblis. After he defeated him, Solaris sealed Mephilies in an ancient artifact called the Scepter of Darkness and Iblis in a stone chest called the Crypt of Destruction. It is told that if Iblis is released, it would destroy the world in the form of the Flames of Disaster. And if the two were to merge back together…"

Elise paused for a moment and tightened the blanket around herself.

"Then it would be the end of world." she said fearfully.

For a moment, Sonic, Tails, and Amy said nothing. This was so much to absorb, and Elise was obviously disturbed by the tale. What she was telling them was serious. And even Sonic, who was usually the one to make some kind of joke at this point, knew this wasn't the time to take the situation lightly.

"What happened to Solaris?" he asked.

"After the battle," she continued, "Solaris was weakened. Legend says that he had a mystical diamond that he always carried with him. After he sealed Mephilies and Iblis away, he himself went to rest inside what is known as the Amulet of Light and entrusted it to the Solannian Royal Family."

Elise then jolted up and looked at Sonic with a concerned face.

"Sonic!" she exclaimed. "Did you get the necklace I threw to you?! When you tried to save me last night!"

Sonic blinked for a moment as the girl's sudden reaction surprised him. He then casually slipped his fingers into his left glove and pulled out the diamond necklace, displaying it in the palm of his right hand.

"You mean this?" he asked.

"Yes," Elise sighed, relieved. "Thank you. I was worried for a moment."

"So this is the Amulet of Light?" Sonic questioned.

"Indeed." the Princess nodded. "It's been in my family for generations."

"So it must be very special to you if your mother or father handed it down to you." Amy concluded.

"Actually," Elise narrowed her eyes, recalling a distant memory, "someone else gave it to me."

All three creatures looked at the Princess.

"Ten years ago," Elise whispered, tears starting to form in her eyes, "we almost faced the wrath of Iblis. I was a child then, but I do remember that…I lost my father."

Elise cringed and brought her fist to her mouth, trying to force herself not to cry. Tails placed a caring hand on the human's shoulder and Amy gently hugged her. Elise trembled as the tears she had been repressing began to fall down her cheeks.

"It's okay." Amy caringly said.

Sonic looked away.

"I'm…I'm sorry." was the only thing he could say.

After a moment or two, Elise took a deep breath and wiped the tears from her face.

"I-I'm sorry," she said, "it's just…it's not a moment I like to remember."

"We understand." Tails replied solemnly. "I'm sure we'd feel the same way if we were you."

"But…what happened ten years ago?" Sonic quietly asked, still wanting answers. "And who gave you the Amulet?"

Elise looked at Sonic.

"Actually, it was another hedgehog like you." she replied.

Sonic's eyes widened a bit.

"I remember he had silvery white fur and golden eyes," the Princess explained, "he helped my father seal Iblis again before he…passed on."

Elise clenched again, refusing to give in to the sorrow.

"After he brought me to a safe place, he gave me the Amulet before disappearing." she concluded. "After that, I never saw him again."

"Um…" Sonic cleared his throat. "You said that Iblis was sealed again. How?"

Elise thought hard for a moment.

"My father recited a spell," she said slowly, "and he used the Amulet of Light to seal Iblis back in the Crypt of Destruction."

"So you're saying this Amulet is the key to Iblis's imprisonment." Sonic stated.

"Yes," Elise nodded, "and as a member of the Royal Family, it is my duty to guard it. With my life if I have to. Anyway, thank you for keeping it safe, Sonic."

Elise reached to take the necklace, but to her surprise, Sonic closed up his hand and pulled it away.

"Sonic?"

"And as long as Eggman is after you because of this," the blue hedgehog said, "then it's my duty to protect you. And the best way is to keep this away from you for a while. Best to separate the key from the lock after all."

"But Sonic, it's my responsibility!" Elise protested. "The Amulet was entrusted to my family!"

"And so was your kingdom." Sonic pointed out. "And right now, your safety is our number one priority. As long as I have the Amulet, Eggman will most likely come after me to get it. Better me than you."

Elise looked away. She knew Sonic was right.

"Okay." she slowly nodded. "I trust you, Sonic. And I'll respect your wishes. Just promise me you'll make sure the Amulet doesn't fall into the wrong hands."

"Don't worry, I promise." Sonic grinned, slipping the Amulet back into his glove.

"There's another thing, Sonic." Tails suddenly said. "Elise knows about the secret of the Flames of Disaster. Maybe even more than Eggman currently knows. I bet he will still come after her to get more answers."

"In that case," Sonic replied, pensive, "Elise is going to have to blend in with the crowd until all of this whole thing has blown over."

"How am I going to do that?" Elise asked.

"No problem." Amy smiled. "I can go out and buy you a suitable outfit."

"And I can put together a scooter or something for you to get around quickly." Tails said. "Just in case."

Elise couldn't help but smile. This feeling was so new to her, and she liked it.

"Thank you very much." she nodded. "You're all good friends."

"Well, if you two have things under control here," Sonic said to Amy and Tails, "then I'm going to head out."

"To where, Sonic?" Amy asked.

"Shadow and Rouge are supposed to be in this area on a mission for G.U.N., remember?" Sonic explained. "I'm going to see if I can get their help in getting more information on this legend."

"Good luck with that." Tails smirked.

Sonic just gave a wink before rushing out of the cove toward a forest.

By now the sun had set and long shadows streaked across the sandy beach. The waves rippled the reflection of the moon and stars' light, making it look like a moving silver platter.

As Sonic entered the boundaries of the forest, the same dark figure from the arena emerged from the shadows, this time becoming more solid.

"You shouldn't make promises you can't keep, Sonic the Hedgehog." he growled in a deep, malicious voice. "And you now have something I want. Prepare yourself, Sonic, because this will be your last night alive."


	4. Chapter 4: Ambushed

**Chapter 4: Ambushed**

As Sonic was about to approach the city gates, which were nestled in between two large cliffs, a large wall of violet crystals emanating a dim glow shot up in front of him.

"What the…!" he skidded to a halt.

"Just where do you think your going?" a dark voice said from behind.

The blue hedgehog whipped around to face the owner of the voice. In the shadows of the trees, something began to walk forward. When the thing stepped out into the moonlight, Sonic's eyes widened slightly.

"What…Shadow?"

As Sonic squinted to get a better look, he saw that this hedgehog had much more grayer colors in his fur and quills than Shadow's. Not to mention, this creepy imposter had no mouth. It looked as if it had come straight out of an old horror film.

However, its eyes were the color of green and were very snakelike. Their poisonous stare locked right onto Sonic.

"Wait," the blue hedgehog said, stepping back, "you're not Shadow. Who are you?"

"I am Mephilies, Mephilies the Dark!" the gray hedgehog responded, narrowing his eyes.

"Mephilies?!" the memory of the legend sparked in Sonic's mind. "You're that evil spirit who fought Solaris?!"

"Oh, so you know the legend, do you?" Mephilies replied in a slightly smug tone. "Not that it would do you any good. Now," the gray hedgehog's voice darkened noticeably, "hand over the Amulet of Light!"

"What makes you think I would obey someone like you?" Sonic scowled.

"Well, as far as I can see," Mephilies stepped forward, "you have nowhere to run, Sonic."

Sonic jolted when he heard his name.

"How do you know my name?!"

"If I were you," the creepy hedgehog lifted his right hand, "I'd be more worried about how long I will last!"

Sonic only had a second to react as a large sharp crystal shot from Mephilies hand and headed straight for him. The blue hedgehog jumped out of the way and summersaulted back onto his feet.

"Ha! You're too slow!" Sonic mocked.

Mephilies sharply turned to his direction and lunged forward and punched the blue hedgehog. The next thing Sonic knew, he felt a painful blow to the stomach that knocked the wind out of him. He stumbled back and fell over on his right side. He gripped his abdomen as he looked up in time to see Mephilies towering over him.

"Pathetic." he sneered.

Mephilies then created another crystal spear in right and raised it high. Sonic shut his eyes raised his left hand out of reaction as his attacker brought the crystal down.

At that moment, the gem under his glove began to glow.

"**Protection!"** a strong, deep voice commanded.

Suddenly, a golden bubble surrounded the blue hedgehog and Mephilies's attack was stopped short. The impact caused him to stagger backward.

Sonic blinked for a moment as the sudden shield surprised him. He lowered his hand and looked at the glowing spot on his glove.

"The Amulet!" he winced.

"Solaris!" Mephilies eyes narrowed greatly. "I should've known! Even in the improper hands he still tries to save lives."

"What are you talking about?!" Sonic grunted and got to his feet as golden light around him slowly dissipated.

"Doesn't matter," the grey hedgehog replied, "because you won't live long enough to find out!"

Mephilies charged at Sonic again. The blue hedgehog leapt above the oncoming attacker before curling up into a ball and spin-dashing into him. Mephilies flew backwards and skidded to a stop.

"I'm not going down without a fight!" Sonic declared.

He then winced and staggered as the pain in his stomach shot through him again. He gripped his abdomen and clenched his left fist. He couldn't back down now no matter what.

"So honorable." Mephilies narrowed his eyes. "But you're not getting out of this alive!"

The grey hedgehog leapt up above Sonic. The blue hedgehog raised his left fist and the gem inside his glove began to glow again. As Mephilies brought the crystal spear down, the Amulet emanated another golden light. A small burst of white light flashed as the crystal made contact with the shield.

Sonic strained, as the force of the attack was stronger than he was expecting. Sparks flew between the shield and blade as Mephilies struggled to break through. The blue hedgehog tried to stand his ground, but the force was slowly pushing him back.

Finally, Mephilies's crystal glow increased and it broke through the barrier!

The spear managed to also slice Sonic's left glove, exposing a little of the Amulet underneath. The impact of the blow sent the blue hedgehog flying back and he slammed right into the side of the cliff.

Agony racked Sonic's body and he fell to the ground with a shower of small pebbles raining down on him. He took in large gasps of air and gripped his stomach. He winced as the pain from hitting the wall nearly paralyzed his back. He gritted his teeth and his limbs began to feel weak.

He struggled to open one eye. Although is vision was blurred, he could just see Mephilies slowly walking toward him. Sonic tried to raise his left fist again, but his arm refused to obey him.

The gray hedgehog slowly raised the crystal in the air.

"_Is this…really how it ends?!"_ the fearful thought crossed his mind. _"Tails, Knuckles, Amy…I'm sorry!"_

Sonic shut his eyes and waited for the spear to strike him down.

However, his ears picked up a light-pitched humming sound growing louder and louder. Suddenly, it be came mixed with the sound of something like a small explosion.

Sonic slowly opened one eye again and looked up.

Mephilies's attack was stopped short again, only this time it was by another hedgehog.

Standing in front of Sonic, surrounded in a glowing cyan light, was a silvery white hedgehog. He had two long quills flowing from the back of his head and five coming out of his forehead almost like a crown with two ears peeking out on each side.

On his wrists were and on his legs almost up to his knees were golden cuff with a strip of cyan lighting running across them. On his hands were strange cyan markings that seemed to be circles and a straight line going down to his cuffs. On his feet were indigo boots with teal toes and a white strip running down the middle. Attached to his boots were red gems.

The hedgehog had crossed his arms and created a shield that was the same color as the energy that was glowing around his body. The crystal spear struggled to break through, but the white hedgehog's resistance refused to let it go through.

"Wha…"

"Hmph, you look terrible." A familiar deep voice said.

Sonic turned his head slightly to the right and saw Shadow kneeling down toward him. As usual, his expression was very unreadable. So whether he was concerned or not, Sonic would never know at this point.

"Sorry we're late Sonic," a female voice came from the hedgehog's left, "we came as fast as we could."

Sonic looked over when he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. To his surprise, he found that he was looking at the face of another old friend.

"Blaze?" he grimaced.

Mephilies stumbled back as the white hedgehog pushed the energy of his shield forward.

The newcomer then closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and outstretched his arms. All around, bunch of large boulders within a three-yard radius began to levitate.

"Who are you, hedgehog?!" Mephilies growled with irritation.

The white hedgehog opened his eyes and stared at his opponent with a determined glare.

"My name is Silver!" he answered in a strong voice. "Ally of justice and denizen of the future!"


End file.
